Synopses & Reviews
This new edition of Nerve Cells and Animal Behaviour has been updated and expanded by Peter Simmons and David Young in order to take into account more recent advances while still maintaining the book's accessibility to university students. The book introduces the reader to the way in which nervous systems of animals control behavior without assuming any prior knowledge of neurophysiology. Using a carefully selected series of behavior patterns, students are taken from an elementary-level introduction to a point where sufficient detail has been assimilated to allow a satisfying insight into current research on how nervous systems control and generate behavior. Only examples where it has been possible to establish a clear link between the activity of particular nerve cells and a pattern of behavior have been used. Throughout the book, important terms appear in bold type and boxes are used to highlight specific related topics. This book is essential reading for students of zoology, psychology, and physiology and serves as a clear introduction to neuroethology.
Review
"In a nutshell, it provides a very comprehensive picture of what we know of neural systems and behaviour, and it does so in a concise, easy-to-read format that students will love!...The text by Simmers and Young would make an excellent supplementary book for a neurobiology course, or it could serve as an excellent textbook for a more advanced neurobiology course, specializing in neural systems and behaviour." Bulletin of the Canadian Society of Zoologists
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 248-261) and index.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Nerve cells; 3. Giant neurons and escape behaviour; 4. Capturing sensory information; 5. Stimulus filtering: vision and motor detection; 6. Hearing and hunting: sensory maps; 7. Programs for movement; 8. Circuits of nerve cells and behaviour; 9. Nerve cells and changes in behaviour.